Sunday, October 21, 2007

Sheesh. When I was a lad, if a kid brought his mom to school we all called him a pussy (or worse. This was before we understood bigotry).

I can't believe that the notion that dragging along an admittedly spry 95 year old mother that makes a 71 year old candidate seem young outweighs the "ick" factor enough to make it worth his while.

Particularly in a party that as patriarchal and testosterone driven as the GOP.

All week long, I'd heard stories about how McCain was coming back with an improved persona, that he was going back to his maverick roots.

Errr, dragging your mommy is hardly being a maverick, Senator. If anything, it speaks to a man too afraid to take on a challenge as large as the one you've created for yourself: to make your candidacy more relevant than the lamest of lame ducks in the White House.

There is one small constituency this stunt might work with and in states like Iowa, it might hold a key to an improved showing: the elderly. After all, that nice young man, Senator McCain, brought that lovely mother of his along to talk to us, so we should vote for him.

In a state like Iowa, that might actually pick up a point or two worth of votes.

If you can hear them among all the laughter.

This speaks of a desperate move by a desperate man who woke up at 8:15 to catch an 8:17 bus...

"Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did Conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things...every one! So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, 'Liberal,' as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won't work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor." -- Matt Santos, The West Wing